Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.

By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

(CNN)–In 1966, John Lennon famously claimed that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." Today that title may belong to Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback more famous for praising Jesus than for throwing touchdowns.

As anyone who has visited Dallas or Atlanta on any recent weekend can attest, America’s two great religions are Christianity and football. In recent weeks, these two great faiths have come together in Tim Tebow, the new starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos and America’s latest merger of faith in Jesus and faith in the Almighty Touchdown.

When viewed from the perspective of “the world,” Tebow is, at best, a mediocre NFL quarterback. When viewed through the eyes of faith, however, he is something like the Second Coming of Joe Montana. And maybe Something More.

On this burning question of Tim Tebow, I must confess to being an agnostic. But I understand the fervor on both sides.

Skeptics generally concede that Tebow, an outspoken Christian, was an extraordinary high school and college football player. After all, he won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, and led his University of Florida team to two NCAA football titles.

But those who refuse to bow down before Tebow insist that NFL football is another game altogether, and when it comes to that game Tebow is a passing fancy. They attribute Denver’s near miraculous 5-1 run during his reign as a starter not to his offense but to the Broncos defense.

They point out that he throws about as well as Peppermint Patty, and that in one of his wins he completed only two passes more than Charlie Brown (which is to say two). His completion percentage (45.5%) is last in the league.

Skeptics are also turned off by Tebow’s public displays of religion. Tebow used to cite Bible verses on his eye black. And his tendency to be found praying while his teammates are strutting has added a new word—“Tebowing”—to the lexicon.

True believers say to hell with all that. What matters are the intangibles. Tebow is a winner. He may allow his team to fall behind, but in the end he leads the Broncos to victory, often in a fashion that can only be termed miraculous.

Which is to say, when it comes to the Almighty TT, you gotta have faith (or not).

In his book “Faith and Belief,” the Religious Studies scholar Wilfred Cantwell Smith describes how the notion of “faith” changed over the centuries from something like “trust” to its modern-day meaning of “belief in the unbelievable.”

And that, it seems to me, is what we are witnessing with Tebow.

It is simply not believable that a quarterback who cannot throw would turn a team from a 1-4 also-ran to a 6-5 playoff contender. But Tebow has done that, in part by running and in part, well, by faith.

There is, to be sure, Tebow's faith in Jesus. But perhaps more importantly, there is the faith of his teammates in him. Not to mention the adoration of legions of University of Florida alums, and of fans in Denver and beyond.

As a scholar of religion, I have little expertise in football, NFL or otherwise. But I cannot help weighing in on a few comparisons between TT and JC:

Jesus: turned a ragtag band of 12 apostles into the number one religion in the world

Tebow: turned a ragtag squad of 11 football players into an NFL juggernaut

Jesus: prayed a lot (to God)

Tebow: prays a lot (to Jesus)

Jesus: ran the money changers out of the temple

Tebow: runs the spread option

Jesus: miraculously saved a wedding at Cana by turning water into wine

Tebow: miraculously led the Broncos to last-second victories against the Dolphins, the Jets and the Chargers.

Coincidence? You be the judge. As for me, I'm sitting back and waiting for Tebow to do something truly miraculous. Like winning a game without completing a single pass, or running back a punt for a touchdown, or kicking a 50-yard field goal to win a game.

Meanwhile, I am happy to report that Jesus is still more famous than Tebow. At least for now.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.

soundoff(1,398 Responses)

If he was really Christ like he would donate all his money to charity and live on just enough to survive. Jesus Christ people are so gullible and annoying.

November 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm |

John124c41

Why don't you give all of your $$ to the poor and then live off the welfare of other?. Don't criticize Tebow if you are unwilling to do what you say he should do!

November 29, 2011 at 3:42 pm |

Zee

I just puked in my mouth.

November 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm |

Edward

If someone does not believe in God – I have no problem with it nor do atheists or liberals if they say it 1,000 times. If someone does believe in God and they say and show it 1,000 times the atheists and liberals go insane and hate them. Now why does someone that claim they don't believe in God get so upset about someone that does? Obviously they are the one's with the problem.

November 29, 2011 at 3:27 pm |

bozworthy

Right or wrong, an attempt to give one possible answer to your question: Some of us have a vision for how our society COULD be. The potential rests in all of us behaving rationally, treating each other with respect, and attempting to create the most value for ourselves and society by taking an honest look at ourselves and our world. Having a significant portion of the population believe in what some might call a fairytale, or worse an outright lie, hurts that vision. So our expectations fall well short of reality, which in turn causes confusion and anger towards those that seeminly cause that expectation to fail.

November 29, 2011 at 3:38 pm |

Edward

Bozworty – So you and others like you have a vision for how our society "should be" and just hate everyone that doesn't agree with you or believe that "should be" society would come to be by following their religion. Since you claim to know it all that gives you the right to hate and put down anyone that doesn't agree with you. It is very obvious you are the one with the problem and if your mentality is what "should be" well I would never want to be part of your vision of what society should be.

November 29, 2011 at 3:58 pm |

Tim Tebow

God loves me more than anybody else. That's why I'm better than you.

November 29, 2011 at 3:26 pm |

Really?

He is one up with God when it comes to atheist.

November 29, 2011 at 3:27 pm |

wayne317

I'm as atheist as it gets Christanity disgusts me to no end. But Tebow's job is to win games and that's what he's doing. I'm pretty sure he knows Jesus isn't making the other team fall down, he knows (i hope) that hard work is what is getting the job done.

November 29, 2011 at 3:24 pm |

Really?

Nope, he give GOD and JESUS glory for all because he's smart enough to know they are real and in control of all things!

November 29, 2011 at 3:27 pm |

rdg18

Unlike liberals that don't believe in hard work. It's working great for Greece, Italy, Spain, and other worthless liberal nations.

November 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm |

sam

@rdg and Really?: thanks for representing the 'tard squad so faithfully today.

November 29, 2011 at 3:34 pm |

wayne317

Don't be silly really, look at the mans body. He puts in work.

November 29, 2011 at 3:40 pm |

Kathryn

Guys... for those who don't believe in Christianity because you "can't prove it" is the most ridiculous thing in the world! News flash... They haven't PROVED evolution either! Or any other religion for that matter...so maybe instead of bashing on Tim Tebow because of HIS faith, get a life and get more educated on issues you have no idea what your talking about.

November 29, 2011 at 3:24 pm |

wayne317

"They haven't PROVED evolution either"

Nothing is ever proven in science. For something to be proven means there is nothing left to learn about it. But i could give you Christian scientists that will tell you evolution is true. Ken Miller, Francis Collins. Now what?

November 29, 2011 at 3:31 pm |

Really ?

If Tim Tebow's prayers were sincere, he would never pray for success over other in a game. He would simply pray that all players are unhurt and that all the fans stay safe. The timing of his prayers suggests otherwise. His prayers appear to be selfishly seeking his own enrichment through success in a game. Blastphemous is what it is!

November 29, 2011 at 3:22 pm |

Really?

To the Fake Really? Jesus rules and tebow wins!

November 29, 2011 at 3:25 pm |

Whynot11

But that IS why he prays. NFL players pray not to beat the other team, but to give thanks for their health and their ability to play.

November 29, 2011 at 3:30 pm |

Kathryn

okay dude... Number one- who are you to say if a prayer is sincere or not... are you God? Number two- how the freak do you what he's praying...last time i checked, humans can't read minds! Number three- how do you know if he's not praying for safety of fans and peace in the world.. so before you bash someone for being "fake" while praying.. remember this...at least he is praying.. what are you doing?
Bashing him is not going to make you cooler

November 29, 2011 at 3:30 pm |

Kyle

Have you never prayed for healing when you were sick? Why don't you pray for the healing of others before your own? Blasphemous...?

We all pray for things we desire, be it selfish or not.

November 29, 2011 at 3:31 pm |

C-Dog

And how do you know what he is praying about? What if he is praying for calm nerves, a clear mind and strength, not that some being would deflect a wayward field goal through the uprights. You judgmental dolt.

November 29, 2011 at 3:37 pm |

Jiminy Cricket

You might as well wish upon a star. "When your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme"

November 29, 2011 at 3:39 pm |

rdg18

Tebow for president 2012 !!

November 29, 2011 at 3:21 pm |

Michael

"God chose the foolish to confound the wise." Stephen, you are an apostle of the liberals and skeptics. Having learned too much religion, you have lost faith and turned imbecile. Leave Tim alone. Let him practice what he believes.

November 29, 2011 at 3:19 pm |

Get Real

"Let him practice what he believes."

Of course he can... but he will be open to comment for this showboating.

Would you be so expansive if a Muslim player were to throw himself down on a prayer rug and praise Allah?... or if a Rastafarian gave a burru thanks to Haile Selassie?

November 29, 2011 at 3:34 pm |

Reality? Hardly.

A lovely collection of the most liberal theologians throughout history.

Josephus barely mentions Jesus, and nothing untoward.

Your theology and writing is pathetic at best and worthless for the most part.

I do not worship Tim Tebow, but your silly mocking of Jesus is truly beyond silly.

You waste your time fighting what you obviously don't believe. Your research is third-rate.

Your life must truly be sad to be so bent out of shape for people who believe something you only ridicule.

You are in my prayers.

November 29, 2011 at 3:19 pm |

Reality

From Professors Crossan and Watts' book, Who is Jesus.

"That Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, as the Creed states, is as certain as anything historical can ever be.

“ The Jewish historian, Josephus and the pagan historian Tacitus both agree that Jesus was executed by order of the Roman governor of Judea. And is very hard to imagine that Jesus' followers would have invented such a story unless it indeed happened.

“While the brute fact that of Jesus' death by crucifixion is historically certain, however, those detailed narratives in our present gospels are much more problematic. "

“My best historical reconstruction would be something like this. Jesus was arrested during the Passover festival, most likely in response to his action in the Temple. Those who were closest to him ran away for their own safety.

I do not presume that there were any high-level confrontations between Caiaphas and Pilate and Herod Antipas either about Jesus or with Jesus. No doubt they would have agreed before the festival that fast action was to be taken against any disturbance and that a few examples by crucifixion might be especially useful at the outset. And I doubt very much if Jewish police or Roman soldiers needed to go too far up the chain of command in handling a Galilean peasant like Jesus. It is hard for us to imagine the casual brutality with which Jesus was probably taken and executed. All those "last week" details in our gospels, as distinct from the brute facts just mentioned, are prophecy turned into history, rather than history remembered."

See also Professor Crossan's reviews of the existence of Jesus in his other books especially, The Historical Jesus and also Excavating Jesus (with Professor Jonathan Reed doing the archeology discussion) .

Other NT exegetes to include members of the Jesus Seminar have published similar books with appropriate supporting references.

Part of Crossan's The Historical Jesus has been published online at books.google.com/books.

There is also a search engine for this book on the right hand side of the opening page. e.g. Search Josephus

See also Wikipedia's review on the historical Jesus to include the Tacitus' reference to the crucifixion of Jesus.

From ask.com,

"One of the greatest historians of ancient Rome, Cornelius Tacitus is a primary source for much of what is known about life the first and second centuries after the life of Jesus. His most famous works, Histories and Annals, exist in fragmentary form, though many of his earlier writings were lost to time. Tacitus is known for being generally reliable (if somewhat biased toward what he saw as Roman immorality) and for having a uniquely direct (if not blunt) writing style.

o 1. Historical Jesus Theories, earlychristianwritings.com/theories.htm – the names of many of the contemporary historical Jesus scholars and the ti-tles of their over 100 books on the subject.
2. Early Christian Writings, earlychristianwritings.com/
– a list of early Christian doc-uments to include the year of publication–
3. Historical Jesus Studies, faithfutures.org/HJstudies.html,
– "an extensive and constantly expanding literature on historical research into the person and cultural context of Jesus of Nazareth"
4. Jesus Database, faithfutures.org/JDB/intro.html–"The JESUS DATABASE is an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus that have survived from the first three centuries of the Common Era. It includes both canonical and extra-canonical materials, and is not limited to the traditions found within the Christian New Testament."
5. Josephus on Jesus mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm
6. The Jesus Seminar, mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/seminar.html#Criteria
7. Writing the New Testament- mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/testament.html
8. Health and Healing in the Land of Israel By Joe Zias
joezias.com/HealthHealingLandIsrael.htm
9. Economics in First Century Palestine, K.C. Hanson and D. E. Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus, Fortress Press, 1998.
10. 7. The Gnostic Jesus
(Part One in a Two-Part Series on Ancient and Modern Gnosticism)
by Douglas Groothuis: equip.org/free/DG040-1.htm
11. The interpretation of the Bible in the Church, Pontifical Biblical Commission
Presented on March 18, 1994
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.HTM#2
12. The Jesus Database- newer site:
wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?t-itle=Jesus_Database
13. Jesus Database with the example of Supper and Eucharist:
faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb016.html
14. Josephus on Jesus by Paul Maier:
mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm
15. The Journal of Higher Criticism with links to articles on the Historical Jesus:
mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm

November 29, 2011 at 4:44 pm |

Reality

Continued from above:

16. The Greek New Testament: laparola.net/greco/
17. Diseases in the Bible:
etd.unisa.ac.za/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-08022006-125807/unrestricted/02dissertation.pdf
18. Religion on Line (6000 articles on the history of religion, churches, theologies,
theologians, ethics, etc.
religion-online.org/
19. The Jesus Seminarians and their search for NT authenticity:
mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/seminar.html#Criteria
20. The New Testament Gateway – Internet NT ntgateway.com/
21. Writing the New Testament- existing copies, oral tradition etc.
ntgateway.com/
22. The Search for the Historic Jesus by the Jesus Seminarians:
members.aol.com/DrSwiney/seminar.html
23. Jesus Decoded by Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco (Da Vinci Code review)jesusdecoded.com/introduction.php
24. JD Crossan's scriptural references for his book the Historical Jesus separated into time periods: faithfutures.org/Jesus/Crossan1.rtf
25. JD Crossan's conclusions about the authencity of most of the NT based on the above plus the conclusions of other NT exegetes in the last 200 years:
faithfutures.org/Jesus/Crossan2.rtf

November 29, 2011 at 4:46 pm |

Reality

Continued from above:

26. Common Sayings from Thomas's Gospel and the Q Gospel: faithfutures.org/Jesus/Crossan3.rtf
27. Early Jewish Writings- Josephus and his books by t-itle with the complete translated work in English :earlyjewishwritings.com/josephus.html
28. Luke and Josephus- was there a connection?
infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/lukeandjosephus.html
29. NT and beyond time line:
pbs.org/empires/peterandpaul/history/timeline/
30. St. Paul's Time line with discussion of important events:
harvardhouse.com/prophetictech/new/pauls_life.htm
31. See http://www.amazon.com for a list of JD Crossan's books and those of the other Jesus Seminarians: Reviews of said books are included and selected pages can now be viewed on Amazon. Some books can be found on-line at Google Books.
32. Father Edward Schillebeeckx's words of wisdom as found in his books.
33. The books of the following : Professors Marcus Borg, Paula Fredriksen, Elaine Pagels, Karen Armstrong and Bishop NT Wright.
34. Father Raymond Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament, Doubleday, NY, 1977, 878 pages, with Nihil obstat and Imprimatur.
35. Luke Timothy Johnson's book The Real Jesus

November 29, 2011 at 4:47 pm |

Double-Oh Seven

None of this matters. It is a waste of time talking about Tebow. The Broncos are nowhere good enough to beat the teams they would need to beat down the line. the Steelers, the Patriots, etc. For the Broncos to beat any of those teams would indeed be a miracle. I cannot picture the almighty being a fan of the Broncos.

November 29, 2011 at 3:19 pm |

Jackson Baer

Tebow is a winner. What more does anyone want? I guarantee you Denver fans are happy. I love watching him play.

http://www.whatthehellbook.com/the-book/

November 29, 2011 at 3:17 pm |

Howie

There is no God, there never was a Jesus.

November 29, 2011 at 3:16 pm |

Really?

You must have failed history.

November 29, 2011 at 3:17 pm |

rdg18

Good luck when you do face God.

November 29, 2011 at 3:23 pm |

jboo10141

It pretty likely that there was a man named Jesus, though he may have believed he was the son of "God", he was just a gifted orator and cult leader that was capable of captivating thousands of uneducated individuals of the time.

November 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm |

Pat

His faith is in Jesus and he spreads the word of Christ this has nothing to do with football as he would do the same were he sweeping strees or pumping gas he it thanking the lord for all blessings not for how he plays the game or if Broncos win or lose,

November 29, 2011 at 3:16 pm |

Reality

Dear Tim,

Apparently, you missed this prayer during the last review of your "miracle-filled" life:

The Apostles' Creed 2011: (updated by yours truly based on the studies of NT historians and theologians of the past 200 years)

Should I believe in a god whose existence cannot be proven
and said god if he/she/it exists resides in an unproven,
human-created, spirit state of bliss called heaven?????

I believe there was a 1st century CE, Jewish, simple,
preacher-man who was conceived by a Jewish carpenter
named Joseph living in Nazareth and born of a young Jewish
girl named Mary. (Some say he was a mamzer.)

Jesus was summarily crucified for being a temple rabble-rouser by
the Roman troops in Jerusalem serving under Pontius Pilate,

He was buried in an unmarked grave and still lies
a-mouldering in the ground somewhere outside of
Jerusalem.

Said Jesus' story was embellished and "mythicized" by
many semi-fiction writers. A bodily resurrection and
ascension stories were promulgated to compete with the
Caesar myths. Said stories were so popular that they
grew into a religion known today as Catholicism/Christianity
and featuring dark-age, daily wine to blood and bread to body rituals
called the eucharistic sacrifice of the non-atoning Jesus.

Amen

Some of the references used to update the creed:

o 1. Historical Jesus Theories, earlychristianwritings.com/theories.htm – the names of many of the contemporary historical Jesus scholars and the ti-tles of their over 100 books on the subject.
2. Early Christian Writings, earlychristianwritings.com/
– a list of early Christian doc-uments to include the year of publication–
3. Historical Jesus Studies, faithfutures.org/HJstudies.html,
– "an extensive and constantly expanding literature on historical research into the person and cultural context of Jesus of Nazareth"
4. Jesus Database, faithfutures.org/JDB/intro.html–"The JESUS DATABASE is an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus that have survived from the first three centuries of the Common Era. It includes both canonical and extra-canonical materials, and is not limited to the traditions found within the Christian New Testament."
5. Josephus on Jesus mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm
6. The Jesus Seminar, mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/seminar.html#Criteria
7. Writing the New Testament- mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/testament.html
8. Health and Healing in the Land of Israel By Joe Zias
joezias.com/HealthHealingLandIsrael.htm
9. Economics in First Century Palestine, K.C. Hanson and D. E. Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus, Fortress Press, 1998.
10. 7. The Gnostic Jesus
(Part One in a Two-Part Series on Ancient and Modern Gnosticism)
by Douglas Groothuis: equip.org/free/DG040-1.htm
11. The interpretation of the Bible in the Church, Pontifical Biblical Commission
Presented on March 18, 1994
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.HTM#2
12. The Jesus Database- newer site:
wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?t-itle=Jesus_Database
13. Jesus Database with the example of Supper and Eucharist:
faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb016.html
14. Josephus on Jesus by Paul Maier:
mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm
15. The Journal of Higher Criticism with links to articles on the Historical Jesus:
mtio.com/articles/bissar24.htm
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

November 29, 2011 at 3:13 pm |

Really?

Like I said, "Got atheist ALL WORKED UP!" LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

November 29, 2011 at 3:17 pm |

Sounds about right

Probably a bit abbreviated, but basically correct. Still - Tebow's a winner, by whatever mystical and physical processes he employs. In the NFL, there's nothing wrong with that! In fact, it's kind of neat to watch the youngster succeed – I especially enjoy his enthusiam, which is refreshing in this age of sarcasm.

November 29, 2011 at 3:32 pm |

Really?

0-10 or 10-0, all win win for tebow, he got Jesus' name out there and got a bunch of atheists worked up!

November 29, 2011 at 3:10 pm |

Moe

Tebow-1; Atheists-0

November 29, 2011 at 3:18 pm |

JT

Got jesus name out there? Seriously? We can't escape it. I'd like to see you xtian fanatics get stirred up if it were a Muslim out there praying to Allah.

November 29, 2011 at 3:25 pm |

james

If the guy wants to pray, let him pray. I don't see him ask teammates to kneel down with him. In a league of full of thugs and criminals, the media doggs on the one that prays? Gimme a freaking break.

Besides, I'd be praying to if I made several million dollars a year. It's no different than praying before meals. You gotta give respect to a higher power for giving you what you got...

November 29, 2011 at 3:10 pm |

LetMh8T

It's crazy in my mind and a sign of our country's demise that so many people in hate and ridicule a guy that 1) WINS 2) WORKS HARD 3) INSPIRES AND LEADS 4)HAS THE COURAGE TO TALK ABOUT RELIGION. You have the right not to think he's a good passer/quarterback etc. but give the guy some respect.

November 29, 2011 at 3:09 pm |

Have a little faith

I could not agree with you more. In a time where so much is wrong, this man plays with passion, and has a strong faith...both which are commendable. I give him so much respect for having the courage to kneel and pray to the Lord in front of so many. That is truly being unashamed!!

November 29, 2011 at 3:36 pm |

BubbasWorld

oh brother...

November 29, 2011 at 3:08 pm |

ThomasPaine

Tim Tebow: "Thank you God for the many millions of dollars that these idiots pay me to run a bloated pig skin from one end of a field to another rather than paying those deserving of more that do far more than I ever will in my lifetime. Please don't let me end up like Tiger Woods later in my career. Amen."

This man is who we compare to Jesus, just another example of how religion leads the dumbed down masses. Perfection is a myth when humanity is involved in it's current state. More garbage from the cogs in the machine we call mass media.

November 29, 2011 at 3:07 pm |

Have a little faith

I think the author of the article may have compared him to Jesus, but that isn't the common notion. The common notion is a hard working man who is passionate about something (other than committing crime) and who is UNASHAMED to be a CHRISTIAN!

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.